2013-036 EDC-Arts - Cedar Ridge High School $500

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Sacrificial Poets Programs and Curriculum Sacrificial Poets Sacrificial Poets is an award-winning spoken word poetry organization that serves middle,high school, and college-aged youth in the Triangle Area of North Carolina. The organization facilitates writing and performance workshops throughout the state and hosts regular youth poetry events. In addition, Sacrificial Poets selects a team of six youth every year to take to the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival (as seen on HBO). Sacrificial Poets utilizes an innovative arts education curriculum, known as YouTh ink., to help youth develop creative writing, public speaking, emotional literacy, and civic engagement skills. Sacrificial Poets does not empower youth,rather we seek to create diverse, welcoming, and transformative environments where youth can empower themselves. Graduates of Sacrificial Poets programming have taught and performed at venues across the nation including the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, the 2010 Bonnaroo Music Festival,the historic Nuyorican Poets Cafe, and in 2011 traveled to Egypt and Tunisia to complete the Poetic Portraits of a Revolution project. In addition, youth poets from our programs have appeared on the NPR affiliate WUNC during "Morning Edition,"been accepted to college and even received scholarships based on their experience as poets and performing artists, become Southern Fried regional slam champions,National Poetry Slam and Individual World Poetry Slam Finalists, and even taken their place as directors of the organization. The YouTh ink. Curriculum The Sacrificial Poets' YouTh ink curriculum uses spoken word poetry to introduce students to tools that aid them in strengthening not just writing and public speaking skills,but their emotional literacy as well. Spoken word poetry is a literary and performing art form that incorporates elements of hip hop, formal writing,theater, and public speaking. Spoken word helps young people find their voice by identifying, reflecting on, and learning to convey the powerful stories and experiences that make up their lives and identities. Finding one's voice is a process involving an exploration of personal identity and life experience in order to define oneself, build confidence and strengthen positive self-image. Our unique curriculum utilizes a culturally responsive pedagogy that celebrates learning differences, and is designed to benefit participants in five specific ways: enhance emotional literacy,facilitate identity exploration, refine writing and analytical skills, develop performance and public speaking competency, and build self-confidence. Participants in our programs take part in analyzing performances (both from videos and live performances), analyzing and discussing literary text, watching short films and reading articles that introduce themes related to poetry and hip hop, as well as historical and sociocultural issues. In order to develop their own communication skills, participants learn to create original works of performance poetry that they write, memorize, choreograph, and present.